A $999 flagship shouldn't have this kind of flaw—yet Google’s Pixel 10 Pro is frustrating users with jerky, jitter-filled zoom videos. And here’s the kicker: the fix is bizarrely simple, but Google hasn’t officially addressed it yet.
The Pixel 10 series is packed with impressive specs and premium design, but it’s no stranger to bugs. Longtime Pixel users know that even brand-new models can hide software gremlins... or worse, hardware defects. One new owner of the Pixel 10 Pro discovered something alarming: videos shot with the phone’s 5x telephoto lens stutter badly when panning or moving the camera. At first, they weren’t sure if this was a one-off fluke, a defective lens, or a problem baked into the system.
After a deep dive into testing, this Reddit user realized the culprit wasn’t the hardware at all, but a software flaw tied to Google’s Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). With EIS enabled, the telephoto video feed becomes jumpy and unstable. Disabling it instantly removes the problem — but here’s where it gets controversial: wouldn’t turning off "Video Stabilization" make footage less smooth? In reality, you’re still left with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) on the telephoto lens, so the footage remains steady without the EIS-induced jitters.
This isn’t just a Pixel 10 Pro issue either. Tests suggest nearly all recent Pixels with telephoto cameras suffer from this bug. Even popular third-party apps like Blackmagic Camera and ProShot, which tap into Google’s EIS API, replicate the stutter. The exception? Open Camera, a free and open-source app with its own stabilization system. When using Open Camera’s built-in EIS, telephoto videos pan smoothly without a hint of jitter.
To make matters worse, Pixel 10 Pro’s hyped "Video Boost" feature does nothing to correct this specific stabilization failure.
How to Fix the Telephoto Stutter
If you’re recording zoomed-in videos and want them smooth, try this:
- Open the Pixel Camera app.
- Tap the Settings icon (bottom left).
- Go into "More settings" for full options.
- Turn off Video Stabilization.
This will disable EIS but keep OIS active, meaning your footage stays steady without the jitter problem.
Alternatively, download and use Open Camera from the Google Play Store. Switch to its own stabilization method for telephoto shots, but keep using the native Pixel Camera app for other lenses and photography.
We’ve contacted Google to ask if they plan to fix this annoying bug in a future update. Until then, the workaround above might be your best bet.
But here’s the debate: should buyers of a $999 flagship have to use a workaround at all? Is this a minor hiccup in otherwise stellar hardware, or a serious oversight showing cracks in Google’s quality control? Drop your thoughts below—is this a dealbreaker or just a temporary bump in the road?
